First-year Students

All students are expected to maintain legal residency status in France during their studies at AUP. If you’re a citizen of France or any other European Union country, you need only show us your passport once during orientation and are exempt from any further visa requirements.

All non-European Union students need to first apply for a student visa, the Visa D-Long séjour- Ceseda R311-3 6°, to become a legal resident of France. Upon acceptance to the University, you will then be provided with instructions and the documents necessary to apply for your student residence permit, the VLS-TS Titre de Séjour. This residence permit allows you to legally live and study in France. All of these steps require that your passport is valid and not due to expire for more than six months.

It’s illegal to enter France with a tourist visa, or no visa at all, with the intention of being a student. Students living in France without the proper documents are subject to deportation.

What to bring to orientation

Before you come to Paris, you’ll need to have obtained your student visa. Your acceptance pack has all the latest details on the procedure. You must also bring a birth certificate mentioning both of your parents’ names with you to orientation and supply it to Student Immigration Services. The birth certificate must be a certified copy in either English or French. This document is mandatory and must be prepared before arriving in France. Marriage, divorce, and adoption certificates are also necessary to justify any change of name.

Arrival in France

When you arrive at orientation, you’ll meet with a member of the Student Immigration Services team. Once we’ve gathered the required documents from you, we’ll send a copy of your passport, the student visa you obtained prior to your arrival, your boarding pass or the entrance stamp from border control, and the original OFII form to the Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration (OFII).Please note that we can only help process the applications of students living in Paris (75).If you plan to live outside of Paris, please contact Student Immigration Services for assistance with the procedures.Once the French Authorities have processed your application, SIS inform you of the date and time for your medical visit at the OFII ("Visite d'accueil"). This appointment is mandatory and cannot be rescheduled. Missing the OFII visit results in the cancellation of both the visa and the residency application, so it’s imperative that you attend your OFII visit. The OFII visit is part of validating process for the student visa in order to legalize the non-EU student's stay in France.

Required documents for the OFII Visit ("Visite d'Accueil")

In order to successfully complete your visit at the OFII, you’ll need to bring a number of documents with you.

OFII convocation (the SIS office will send it to you by email before your appointment takes place)

Four passport photos (AUP students get a discount at LABOSTARSERVICE at 26, rue Jean Nicot 75007)

Proof of Housing:

If you are housed by AUP: you can get the housing certificate directly from the Housing Office

If you are housed by COH-Comforts of Paris: you can get your housing certificate directly from COH

If you’re neither housed by the University or COH, and you receive a monthly EDF/GDF bill in your personal name, your most recent EDF bill (dated less than 2 months) is required. Note that échéanciers are not accepted. A copy of the most recent housing contract (dated less than 2 months) is required as well.

If you are housed by friends or a family (you, for example, work as an 'Au pair' for) and the housing justifications are not in your name: your landlord's/friend's/host family's most recent EDF/GDF bill, a photocopy of your landlord's/friend's/host family's ID or passport and an "attestation d'hébergement" (Feel free to ask SIS for that document). Important: if your landlord/friend/host family is non-EU they are required to give you a copy of their valid residency card in France.

Before leaving the OFII, please make sure the OFII stamp has been inserted inside your passport and stamped. The vignette (OFII stamp) officially validates your student visa and legalizes your stay in France under a student status.

Once this step is completed, you must stop by the Student Immigration Services Office within seven days of your appointment and show SIS your passport in order to scan the OFII sticker and the student visa so that we can update your residency records. We’ll supply you with a photocopy for your records.

Residency permit renewal

Three months before your residency expires, you are required to meet with the Student Immigration Services Office to discuss your renewal options, receive the list of required documents, and to schedule an appointment for your renewal. Your residency permit renewal application must be complete and ready to be processed two months prior to the expiration date. Remember that if your residency permit expires in April/May/June/July/August you must discuss your situation (residency renewal or student visa application) with SIS before you leave for summer vacation. Have a look at our returning students section for more information about residency renewal procedures and documents.

Important: Students whose residency expires in April/May/June/July/August and who plan to leave France immediately after Spring semester is over are required to apply for another long stay student visa back home (over the summer) in order to legally return to France/AUP next Fall semester.

Contact us

We’re here to help you every step of the way, but it’s your legal responsibility to maintain your legal resident status in France. Any student who does not respect French immigration policy will not benefit from any assistance from the University in and re-admission to the University will be made on a case-by-case basis.

The Student Immigration Services Office at AUP is available throughout your studies for assistance in working with the local authorities to fulfill your visa requirements as well as with the renewal process. The immigration office keeps records of residency cards, passports, visas, and birth certificates. Please contact us to make sure your records are updated or if you have any questions or concerns.